History Main / PromotionToParent

* ''Film/BennyAndJoon'': The title characters' parents have died some years before, leaving Benny to raise Joon, who is a mentally IllGirl. He takes his role very seriously but also objects to options that may have been helpful to Joon, such as sheltered accommodation or her relationship with [[{{Cloudcuckoolander}} Sam]] partly because he doesn't want to lose her.

* ''Film/LoveActually'' has Sarah's problems in regards with her [[IllGirl ill brother]] after her parents died. Also to a lesser extent, Daniel is left to raise his stepson while trying to deal with his own grief of his wife's death. While he started out as a parent, it was previously a less active role.

* [[spoiler:Mira Kagami]] in ''VisualNovel/TokimekiMemorial'' is revealed to be unable to join clubs because she's the eldest of five children in a poor household, her father died, and she has to help her mother to take care of her ''much'' younger brothers. [[spoiler: All of the times Mira cancels dates with the PlyerCharacter? One of the kids is an IllBoy [[SickEpisode and she must take care of him]]. [[TextileWorkIsFeminine She's good at sewing?]] She fixes the kids's clothes to help her mom. She doesn't let the PlayerCharacter walk her home? She doesn't want anyone to find out she's not the RichBitch she pretends to be at school.]]

** Mister also becomes you to the feral Lady in the second film, making it even more tragic when [[spoiler: he is forced to kill her after Lady is bitten by a vampire.]]

* The ''Film/Stake Land'' films find the vampire hunter, Mister, taking the orphaned teenager, Martin, under his wing after [[spoiler:the boy's family is killed in a vampire attack]] at the beginning of the first movie. For all of Mister's gruff surliness, he ultimately proves up to the task and devoted to caring for his young charge. As the pair travel through the post-apocalyptic America, Mister trains Martin how to fight vampires and survive in their new lives.

This trope can also apply to adults. For instance, when someone childless (likely a man) finds out of the blue that he has a child he didn't know about. This usually can range from the traditional accidental conception ("I'm your daughter/son.") to the [[CloningBlues scifi clone]]. Another way would be when a woman finds out she is pregnant and has to step up to being a parent whether or not she is ready for it yet. Still another, when a [[ReallyGetsAround swinging bachelor/bachelorette]] uncle/aunt is unexpectedly saddled with guardianship of a nephew/niece.

* Nani of ''WesternAnimation/LiloAndStitch'' is Lilo's older sister, who became her legal guardian after their parents died. The two still argue like sisters. Lilo even says, "I like you better as a sister than a mom." Despite knowing about Lilo's mission to find more than 600 aliens scattered about Hawaii, Nani would probably prefer if her little sister had a safer hobby. Nani has forbidden Lilo and Stitch on at least one occasion from using the hovercars that Jumba gave them as a Christmas gift because it's not safe. Additionally, the first film serves as somewhat of a {{deconstruct|edTrope}}ion of this trope, as it deals with Nani struggling to be a competent guardian and raise Lilo to the satisfaction of Social Services shortly after their parents' death. [[TearJerker "Struggling" is really the only way to describe it, and it's heartbreaking watching a loving and well-intentioned sibling having her little sister taken away so soon after losing both of her parents.]] The sad thing is, it's surprisingly realistic because Nani is ''nineteen''...

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* Franchise/{{Superman}} usually serves this role for his younger cousin Kara Zor-El alias Comicbook/{{Supergirl}} -or ComicBook/PowerGirl-, who arrives on Earth after losing her parents. Ironically, in the [[ComicBook/Supergirl2005 Post-Crisis comics]] Kara was born earlier and she expected to raise her baby cousin when she arrived on Earth, but her ship was delayed and she was put in suspended animation; when she crash-landed on Earth, Kal was nearly twice her age.

* In ''Film/WintersBone'', 17 year old Ree is charge of taking care of her siblings as Dad's gone and Mom's sick.
* ''Film/GodToldMeTo'': Pete's father had Parkinson's, so for a while he was the sole breadwinner for his stepsiblings. He put both of his stepbrothers through college, giving up his own opportunity to go.

* The basic plot of ''Webcomic/StepMonster'' is that, out of desperation to avoid being split up by the child services, Suzette and Mikey Miller recruit Matilda, the monster who [[ThingsThatGoBumpInTheNight lives in Mikey's closet]] to pretend to be an aunt of theirs to adopt them. Since the alternative for Matilda is to watch them leave and have to go back to living with her parents in the monster world, she agrees. Things develop from there.

* ''VisualNovel/NineHoursNinePersonsNineDoors'': Santa [[spoiler:or Aoi Kurashiki]] was promoted to parent after his parents were killed in an accident. He's been looking out for [[spoiler:Akane]] since he was 8. [[spoiler:It's basically the reason he's TheLancer to Akane when she's acting as [[BigBad Zero]] - he knows that if her plans fail or never come to fruition then she'll die.]]

* ''WebAnimation/{{RWBY}}'': In Volume 5, Yang says that she basically raised Ruby by herself due to their father Taiyang not being around often after Summer's death. While the show has been vague as to when exactly this happened (sources have implied Ruby was anywhere as young as two to as old as nine), Yang says that Ruby couldn't even ''talk'' at the time, which would mean that Yang herself was no more than ''four'' when she started. It’s unknown how long this situation lasted, as Taiyang seems more normally involved by the time the series started, and there seems to be little to no animosity between he and Yang in their interactions in Vol. 4.

* ''FilmGodToldMeTo'': Pete's father had Parkinson's, so for a while he was the sole breadwinner for his stepsiblings. He put both of his stepbrothers through college, giving up his own opportunity to go.

* In the toy lines, Franchise/{{Barbie}} has largely InvisibleParents who [[ToylessToylineCharacter only exist in books]]. It's assumed her two younger sisters live with these usually-unseen parents. In ''WebAnimation/BarbieLifeInTheDreamhouse'', however, Chelsea and Skipper clearly live with Barbie.

* Happens in ''VisualNovel/{{Crescendo|EienDatoOmotteItaAnoKoro}}'', with Ayame Sasaki taking care of her adopted younger brother Ryo (the male lead) after their parents die in an accident when Ryo was in junior high and Ayame was in college. She drops from college and becomes an OfficeLady to support them both, taking care of Ryo devotedly [[GreaterNeedThanmine and neglecting her own needs.]] [[BrotherSisterIncest They can potentially fall in love]].

-->-- '''Lilo''', ''Disney/LiloAndStitch''

* ''Disney/BigHero6'': Although Tadashi and Hiro live with their Aunt Cass, Tadashi makes a special effort to fulfill the role of big brother and father figure. It's most obvious when he's distressed over Hiro's botfighting hobby and wonders what their dad would say in that situation. This trope also applies to Aunt Cass who took both boys in when their parents died.
* Elsa in ''Disney/{{Frozen}}'' goes through this with Anna after their parents die. Even though she's barely present in Anna's life for the three years between their parents death and her coronation, isolating herself out of fear of her ice powers, she still takes her responsibility as Anna's legal guardian seriously, as shown when she vetos her marriage to Hans.
* Nani of ''Disney/LiloAndStitch'' is Lilo's older sister, who became her legal guardian after their parents died. The two still argue like sisters. Lilo even says, "I like you better as a sister than a mom." Despite knowing about Lilo's mission to find more than 600 aliens scattered about Hawaii, Nani would probably prefer if her little sister had a safer hobby. Nani has forbidden Lilo and Stitch on at least one occasion from using the hovercars that Jumba gave them as a Christmas gift because it's not safe. Additionally, the first film serves as somewhat of a {{deconstruct|edTrope}}ion of this trope, as it deals with Nani struggling to be a competent guardian and raise Lilo to the satisfaction of Social Services shortly after their parents' death. [[TearJerker "Struggling" is really the only way to describe it, and it's heartbreaking watching a loving and well-intentioned sibling having her little sister taken away so soon after losing both of her parents.]] The sad thing is, it's surprisingly realistic because Nani is ''nineteen''...

* ''WebComic/StandStillStaySilent'': Part of Onni's backstory. The list of charges includes both a younger sister and a younger cousin; the latter may have been orphaned at the same time as them.